Entries in NH Republicans
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Key Point: "They clearly didn’t vote to help the lowest wage earners in the state. One can only surmise that the state’s underpaid workers aren’t the people these [Republican] senators think they were sent to Concord to represent. In that case, they’re doing a great job."

Wages of war in New Hampshire

Telegraph Editorial

There is no war going on in New Hampshire.

State Sen. Andy Sanborn, R-Bedford, would have you believe differently, judging from statements he made on the floor of the Senate in Concord last week.

Sanborn said a proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 was a “war on employers.”

It would hurt the very people it was intended to help and would decimate businesses, he said.

“How many jobs are going to exist in New Hampshire if there are no longer any employers?” Sanborn asked rhetorically.

Sanborn is prone to outrageous comparisons. Last year, while he was guest-hosting a radio show, he compared the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to the San Francisco plane crash that killed two people.

Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro called the bill to raise the state’s minimum wage a “job killer.” And last week, all 13 Republican senators voted down the increase and killed the bill, HB 1403, which was sent to them by the Democratically controlled House of Representatives.

Republican state senators like Sanborn and Bradley, who tried to cast a minimum wage increase as an assault on employers and businesses, engaged in the worst kind of political hyperbole.

New Hampshire is viewed as one of the most-business friendly states in the country.

New Hampshire has the lowest minimum wage in New England. The minimum wage is $8.60 an hour in Vermont, $8 in Massachusetts and $7.50 in Maine.

Someone earning the minimum wage in New Hampshire would have to dedicate all their earning for seven months just to pay the taxes on Sanborn’s Bedford home.

Raising the state’s minimum wage to $8.25 an hour in 2015 – and eventually to $9 an hour in 2016 – would have boosted the wages of 76,000 Granite Staters, including women, young people and parents, according to the liberal Economic Policy Institute.

CONCORD, NH - Karen Testerman, Republican candidate for U.S.Senate issued the following statement regarding Scott Brown's announcement of the formation of an Exploratory Committee. "Welcome to the campaign, Scott.I wish you all the best.One of the great opportunities in the Republican Party is our willingness to have primaries," Testerman stated."We are strengthened by the process."

On Friday,former Senator Brown, a sponsor of the Northeastern Regional Republican Leadership Conference, used this paid spotlight to announce his intentions to form an exploratory committee.

Some conservatives arevowingto hold GOP lawmakers who vote to expand coverage to their own constituents accountable with a primary. With AFP organizing against the expansion in other states, it’s clear that this aspect of Obamacare will continue to draw attention from outside groups.

Thousands in Need of Treatment Could Benefit From Thursday’s Senate Vote

Of the 113,000 New Hampshire residents estimated to need treatment for alcohol and other drug disorders, only 6,000 per year receive needed treatment through state-funded programs—that leaves a population in New Hampshire without access to state-funded programs larger than 2014 Superbowl attendance.

Tomorrow the State Senate will vote on a bill that could extend substance abuse disorder coverage to thousands in the Granite State. If this bill passes, the House of Representatives will vote on it and Governor Hassan will sign it into law.

“Expanding Medicaid will support this treatment-first approach by providing thousands of people with substance and alcohol treatment coverage for the first time, improving lives while strengthening our economy and public safety,” Hassan said at her State of the State address.

New Hampshire drug and alcohol problems don’t seem to be going away. Just a few months ago, Lt. MaureenTessierattributed thespike in Manchester crimeto drug addiction—especially heroin—which has emerged as the low-cost alternative toOxyContinand Percocet in New Hampshire. AManchester drug-sweepfollowed in February, netting 30 for drug-related crimes.

“We cannot arrest away this drug problem; it’s an underlying addiction problem,” Chief David Mara said. “We don’t have the resources as law enforcement to fight the addiction problem. What we can do is try to get these people off the streets and hopefully once they are in the corrections facility, or once they get involved with the court, hopefully they will be able to get some treatment.”

The Senate vote on Thursdaywill do exactly that, according to Linda Saunders Paquette, Executive Director of New Futures.

“Accepting federal funds would allow NH General Fund dollars currently spent on treatment to be reallocated across disciplines for prevention, recovery supports, and other related services aimed at reducing crime associated with substance abuse. Expanding these resources can address the underlying cause of cyclical drug-related crime and incarceration in our state.”

“You can put bars and barbed wire around somebody with addiction; without appropriate treatment and supports, they will not recover from their addiction.”

The recovery community has been vocal in framing New Hampshire substance abuse problems as ahealth issuerather than a criminal justice issue. Recovery advocates have urged the Senate to invest in expanding treatment to addicts, instead of “quarantining” them in prison.

Prison and jail inmates are seven times likelier to have a substance use disorder than the general population. Over 90% of parole revocations in New Hampshire are due to condition violations involving parolees who used drugs or alcohol. If the Senate votes “yes” on Thursday, many in the newly covered population would be on probation, parole, or participating in drug or mental health courts.

Four great new speakers - Stephen Hayes, Charlie Spies, Mark Steyn and Richard Tisei - have joined our all-star lineup at the Northeast Republican Leadership Conference, starting in just 11 days. Learn more about each of our new speakers below, and be sure to register today for the premiere Republican conference in the northeast:

Stephen F. Hayes is a senior writer at The Weekly Standard and author of two New York Times bestsellers: Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President and The Connection: How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America. He is a regular Fox All Stars panelist on Special Report with Bret Baier.

Charles Spiesis the leader of Clark Hill's national Political Law practice, as well as the Member in Chargeof the Washington D.C. office. Charlie serves as counsel to multiple super PACs, trade associations, and organizations, including co-founding and serving as counsel to Restore Our Future, the largest super PAC in history. As Chief Financial Officer and Counsel for Governor Mitt Romney's 2008 Presidential campaign, Charlie developed and managed the national campaign's budget and systems for legal compliance with Federal Election Commission, IRS and various state regulations, as well as record-keeping and accounting.

Mark Steyn is an international bestselling author, a Top 41 recording artist, and a leading Canadian human rights activist. That's to say, his latest book, After America (2011), is a Top Five bestseller in the United States and a Number One bestseller in Canada. His human rights campaign to restore free speech to Canada led to the repeal by Parliament of the notorious "Section 13" law, a battle he recounts in his book Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech and the Twilight of the West. Mark is also a popular guest host of America's Number One radio show The Rush Limbaugh Program and America's Number Two cable show Hannity. In addition, his writing on politics, arts and culture can be read each week throughout much of the English-speaking world. In the United States, he serves as National Reviews's Happy Warrior. Mark also chips in at The Corner, writes a syndicated column, and appears each week on The Hugh Hewitt Radio Show.

Richard Tisei is a candidate for Congress in Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District. Tisei served in the Massachusetts state legislature for 26 years, most recently as the minority leader in the Massachusetts Senate. He was the 2010 Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor and the 2012 nominee for U.S. Congress from Massachusetts' 6th District. A graduate of American University, Tisei was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1984. He was the youngest Republican ever elected to the Massachusetts General Court.

The New Hampshire Senate

Republican Majority Office

Concord, NH – State Senator Andy Sanborn (R-Bedford) issued the following statement concerning the defeat of three Democratic bills to carve special tax breaks into the New Hampshire tax code.

“Since the day I came to the Senate, I have been fighting to not only hold the line on taxes, but to lower them across the board. The bills we defeated today did nothing to improve New Hampshire’s steep business tax burden. They singled out select interest groups for special treatment, leaving a higher tax bill for everyone else.

Instead of picking one industry, or one class of wealthy investor, we should be lowering business taxes across the board. But whenever we craft a new budget, increased spending puts tremendous pressure on taxes, and we run out of money before we can provide tax relief for New Hampshire businesses. That’s why I’m going to bring in a new bill to lower New Hampshire’s business taxes, and reset the baseline for New Hampshire next budget.

I look forward to working with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to provide real tax relief across New Hampshire, rather than picking winners and losers in the tax code.”